Process for making tie-rod ends



July 11, 1933. F. c. CRAWFORD ET AL 1,917,502

PROCESS FOR MAKING TIE ROD ENDS Original Filed Feb. 26, 1926 Patented July 11, 1933 UNi-rau swr-,Aras

j isi-7,5;

FREDERICK. c. onAWronD AND encuen i-inrrnnn, `o1 Diagramm, iviieiiiGiiN, essiGN- ons, To THOMPSON ritonucrs, iNconionArnD, or CLEVELAND, oi'iio, aooiirona- TION OF OHIO raocnss v iron l MAKING Trenton vENDS Original'applicatiou filed February 26,' 1926,' Serial No. 90,899. VDivided ami this application filed 'i j December 29, 1930.'`

f This-.invention.relates/to aY process of inakying aball and socket joint foiiise, on connect*- ing rods, such as tie rods and drag linksfor automobiles, andis a division of our co-pend# Ving application, Serial No. 90,899 liled'February-26,1926.

For proper steering of an automobile itV is necessary to give the front wheels what is `known-'asa toe-in, i. e., the front Wheels mustbe arranged inV planes, not vertical and parallel, but inv planes slightly converging toward the front. VAs the tie rod is rigidly-A connected to theV opposite steering knuckles' and as the frontstub axles are also rigidV therewith, it is apparent that in order to give the frontvwfheels the proper.toe-in under all conditions, some means of adj ustment'of the tie rodfor oiiit connections isnecessary. In the usual construction, in order to provide this adjustment, tli'e tie rodis made oftWo end members and an intermediate member, which are relatively adjustable. y

Itis an object of this-invention to produce a tie rod, rigid from end to eiid and Without joints, and` an associated'ball joint, so coi-istructed-tliat the required adjustment' can `be made in the jointitself, by ainfovel treating aseainless metal tube. t

This and other objects of our invention /W-ill be 4apparent from the yfollowing-specification and drawing forming a part thereof, and frointlie annexed claiins. i Y l Qur invention (in a preferred forni)`v is il lustrated in the following specification Vand accompanying draw-ing.

On the drawing:

Figure l is arvieW of'aseainle'ssnietal tube,-

partly in section, from which the connecting?-` rod'is made -Figure 2 illustrates the tube after the end has been expanded and upset to, proper div ametei Figure' illustrates the next step which con# sists of slotting one Wall of the expanded endl,

Figure il is an end View thereof;

Figure 5 showsthe next step, by which the slotted,expandedend illustrated in Figure 3 is spread open and flanged back, `into a' shape siniilar to a scoop; Figure 6 is an end View of'Figure-;

process ofl art. Alfter the end of the tube has been enL ser-a1 No. 565,229. Y

Figure 7 illustrates they next.y step .by which the scoop,shown inl Figure 5, is drawn into tliefori'n of av cylinder-having 4its axis` atriglit angles .to the axisof the tube; i

Figure is Aan end viewtliereofyy Figure19 illustrates the neXtfstep which consists in cutting1o`tftlie-olosedendof the cylinder illustrated in Figure 7,' along the dottedlineae-c; l

Figure'l() is an `end 'View thereof; A

l Figure llzis a bottomfplaniview oftlrepartl shown in Figure 9; Figure l2 isa View, iiisection, ofl the con-y j ii-ectingE rod and? cooperatingl balflujoint. as-

sembled therewith.

lReferring-to tlieldraiving"in detail; in which the saine reference character is used throughout toindicate the same part,'and particularly to Figs. l to l2, the Vprocess is begun with` allight,seamless,` inetaltube l,

the end ofeivhich is enlarged and expanded,` as illustratedatQ, the extent ofthe enlargement depending. u'pon the size of the; ball 0in-t (Fil.

housing or similar part which itis desiredfto forinupontlie end'of the tube. Inethe proc# ess `of enlargement it is obvioustli'atthe Asain-e inetal Which forms the Wall'of the -tubeiiiust 5 also constitute the Wall-of the enlargement, from Which it follows that, `if the end-i ofthe y tube=is1subjectedito the process of expansion alone, lthe resulting Wall vwill be much thinner than the untreatediva'll of the tube.'l If it is desired to i retain, in the enlargement, the l original thicknessfof tli'etube Wall, it fis necv essary. to subject the Jtreated partY of the 'tube to the process-of upsetting or thickening,

Wlii'chlis a Welllknown operation, Vand/Which inaytale placesiinultaneously with the operation off'eXpa-nsion inainanner known' to the panded to the desired extent, va slot 8i is formed in the enlargedy portion, preferably terminating at its inner end'in a circular `apertureflll- Y v a i Y i After theslotiy has beenfornied, the end is shaped into the scoop-like forin indicated in Figs.'5 and 6 by spreadi-iigzthe sl'ottedendI and Hanging the metal about 'aiportilon' of the v circularlaperture 4,; the flange 5 forminga portionv of a cylinder' Whichis conipletedin the succeeding step. Hereinafter the end of the tube, at this point of the process, will be referred to as the scoop, designated as a whole by reference numeral 6. The step of forming the scoop 6 may be done'by known shaping operations; the scoopj isthen drawn into the form of a cylinder', as indicated at 7, having an open end 8 and a closed end 9.

whichis preferably spherically curved as indicated in the drawing, but may be of any other form so long as the elements of the interior surface are circular to permit rotashape which will give the desired finish to the end 8 when thedrawing operation has been completed; or the edges may be trimmed before the operation sufficient to effectively per form Ithe drawing `operation and again trimmed after the cylinder has been formed. The time when the trimming step yis to be performed is a mattei' of choice.

After the Jformation of the cylinder 7 the closed end 9 thereof is cut away on the line a*a, as indicated on Figs..7 and 8, by which a portion of the end 9Aremainsyto form a drawn-in or contracted end having an interiorV bearing surface 10 (Fig. 9), the remainderof the cylinder 7 being of the same diameter throughout.v In the use as a tie rod or drag link, specifically contemplated for the completedarticle, the bearing surface 10 will be uppermost. At the lower end 8 a series of apertures 11 is provided forthe purpose hereinafter explained. e

The cylindrical end of the rod as thus com-V pleted, forms aball-joint housing whose axis is at right angles to theaxis of the rod. This housing is adapted to receive a cylindrical ball l scat 12 (Fig. 12) having an outer surface 13 at its upper end Vadapted to cooperate with the bearing surfacerlO of the housing, and an eccentrically arranged bore 14 extending therethrough spherically curved at its upper end, as indicated at 15, uponwhich bears the 1 ball 16 of a ball stud, the shank 17 of 'which extends upwardly and forms a bearing surface for a connected part 18. g Y

A series of apertures 19 are formed inthe ball seat 12, adapted to registerfwith 'the apertures 11 in the ball joint housing, and, when registered,"to receive a Cotter ypin 20, or the like. The lower end of the ball seat is preferably closed by a curved plate 21 between which land the ball 16, is a soft felt washer 22. Y In Vorder to adjust the position of the shank 17 with respect to the body of the rod the cotter pin 2O is removed, the ball seat 12 is rotated in the housing by any suitable me'ans, the pin is passed through a set of registering apertures 11, 19, and the pin again is secured from accidental withdrawal'. It will be apparent that we have formed a rod and ball housing adapted to receivea ball stud member of such form that thead-kv the operations, and we therefore do not wish i to limit ourselves otherwise than necessitated by the claims.

IVe claim as our invention: 1. vThe process of making a one piece tubular connecting rod which comprises spreading the slotted expanded end of a metal tube into scoopform, drawing the so formed end into a cylinder closed at one end and whose axis is at right-angles tothe axis of the tube, and then cutting off the closed end of the cylinder. .y v

- 2. The process set forth in claim 1 in Vwhich the part cut off from the end of the cylinder is of segmental spherical shape, I;:

thereby providing a cylinder open at both ends vwith one end slightly drawn' in or contracted, to form a segmental spherical ballseat retaining-shoulder. Y Y

3.1The process of making a one-piece tuai:

bular connecting rod which comprises spreading the slotted expanded end of a metal tube into scoop form and forming a seg- 4mental' circular flange at the junction of the body of the tube andexpanded end, drawing theso-formed end into a cylinder closed at one end and whose. axis is at rightangles to the axis of the tube, and then cutting olf the closed end of the tube.

4, The process ofmaking a one-piece tubular connecting rodwhich comprises expanding the end of a ymetal tube, slotting a wall of the expanded portion, spreading the slotted end into scoop form, drawing the so-V formed end into a cylinder closed at one end and whose axis is at right' angles to the axis of the tube, and then cutting off the closed end of the cylinder. i

. 5. The process'of making a tic rod end, which'icomprises expanding the end of a tube, slitting saidV end, spreading the end into scoop form and drawing the so formed end into a cylinder whose axisis at right angles to the axis ofthe tube.

6. rIhe process of making a tie rod end,

7. The process of making a one-piece con- :1'

prior art and the scopel of the'.

necting,` rod which coinpiises siotting and eX- panding the end of a metal tube, 'forming the expanded end into a cylinder Whos-e axis is at right angles to the axis of the tube and finishing the expanded end to adapt itl to receive and retain afbail joint.

S. The. process of making alone-piece tubuiar cminecting rod which comprises siot-v ting the end of a metal tube. forming the slotleo 

